I usually write about my daughter, Megan, and her many medical issues related to her vaccine injuries. I am detouring you all briefly to describe a recent bout of Shingles that I have been dealing with as it relates to Megan, autism and a pattern that we have seen. Let me also point out that Shingles usually occurs in OLDER folks - and though I am enjoying the last days of my 4th decade - I am not the older that they mean - usually 60+ in years - but hold on to that fact as I'm going to revisit it down below. As vaccine names and amounts have increased, so have disabling idiopathic and chronic conditions brought on by illness and injury. Shingles, (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles also has been discussed as being directly related to the use in our country of a vaccine to fight varicella zoster - chicken pox, instead of natural immunity.

I am now weeks into this illness, minimal blisters but they are VERY painful and I am dreadfully exhausted! My right side is the affected side (shingles usually stays only on one side) and unfortunately, my eye is involved. As I type this, I have my 2nd appointment tomorrow at the ophthalmologist. I will also add that I am the youngest of seven children and my sibs were generous in passing down to me all their childhood illnesses, including Chicken Pox, back in the day. As I have shared with people about my having Shingles, these two responses show what many in the outside, autism world think - 1) Oh, You must have gotten that because you have so much stress and 2) Oh, I heard about that as it's related to measles. SO Wrong!

In 1995, Merck came out with a slugger of a vaccine. Since the "War on Childhood Infectious Diseases" has proven to be such an effective PR tool for many companies who PROFIT ENORMOUSLY from making vaccines, it was inevitable that Varicella or Chicken Pox, the "chicken" of the "poxes", would be added to the list of mandated vaccines. I remember it well as the campaign on its use seemed targeted at working mothers -- kind of an insurance plan to keep your child chicken pox-less so working moms would not have to be at home for the 5-10 days of their child's illness. I know because I had two little redheads whose doctor convinced their mother that vaccination was the working mother AND loving thing to do. How kind of Merck. Now I know some will say children would die without the vaccine but the possible reality flip-side to that is now many, many more older folks can have a severe illness that also can be horribly painful and long-lasting as well as fatal.

The NYT reported (HERE) in 2005 that it was indeed, very possible that Merck's Varivax was causing a surge of Shingles - "But even as the vaccine protects children, questions are arising about whether its use will increase the incidence of a related disease, shingles, in adults."...."Dr. Vásquez, along with a Yale colleague, Dr. Eugene D. Shapiro, wrote a commentary in the current edition of The New England Journal of Medicine that hailed the effectiveness of the vaccine for chickenpox but urged more study of its effects on shingles." Wow, here was an actual article seriously looking at how this new Chicken Pox vaccine from Merck may be about to cause a huge increase in Shingles. I read on in excitement that the NYT was seemingly allied with many of us who look at safety.

"The vaccine has been somewhat controversial and is not routinely used overseas".."One concern in other countries is whether using the vaccine would increase the rate of shingles in adults. Shingles, evidenced by a rash, blisters and pain, can lead to nerve damage called post-herpetic neuralgia that can last for weeks or months and cause excruciating pain, even from the touch of a shirt against the skin."

"Infectious disease modelers at the Health Protection Agency in Britain estimated that shingles might increase 30 percent to 50 percent from vaccination. The harm from that increase would outweigh the benefits of reducing chickenpox rates in children, the modelers said. They conceded that their conclusions rested on assumptions about how much the rate of shingles would increase, which is not known. Dr. Ann M. Arvin, a professor of pediatric infectious disease at Stanford, who has been a consultant to Merck, maker of the chickenpox vaccine, said, "We definitely need to pay attention to this question, but at this point it's a hypothetical question, I think." "I think" was still floating in my head when I saw the abrupt U-Turn of the NYT.

They gave two more damning pieces of evidence that Varivax did indeed appear to be accelerating Shingles: "Kaiser Permanente, a big health maintenance organization, has experienced an increase in hospitalizations for shingles." and "One researcher said the incidence of shingles among unvaccinated children in the Antelope Valley outside Los Angeles was much higher than expected. The valley is one of two locations where the disease control center is closely monitoring the effects of the chickenpox vaccine. The researcher, Dr. Gary S. Goldman, whose degree is in computer science, was a data analyst on the project but said he quit in 2002 because his superiors were trying to suppress the findings on shingles. He managed to have his papers published in the journal Vaccine in 2003."

Then the NYT finally showed their infomercial card - "But if using the vaccine does raise the risk of shingles, the manufacturer also has a solution. Merck has said it will apply in the first half of the year to the Food and Drug Administration for approval of a shingles vaccine for older adults" And that's it, folks! Merck made a vaccine that increased a worse illness and then had the solution available right then and there : A NEW VACCINE FOR SHINGLES!

So it again looks like the NYT can't be trusted in delivering all the news that's fit to print. Here are some important facts we all need to know:

Herpes Zoster–Related Hospitalizations and Expenditures Before and After Introduction of the Varicella Vaccine in the United States (HERE)

"Beginning in 2001, however, the rate of HZHDs (SHINGLES- herpes zoster‐related hospital discharges) overall began to increase, and by 2004 the overall rate was 2.5 HZHDs (95% confidence interval, 2.38–2.62) per 10,000 US population, significantly higher than any of the rates calculated during the years prior to 2002."

"As the rates of VRHDs (Varicella‐related hospital discharges ) and the associated charges have decreased, there has been a significant increase in HZHDs and associated charges, disproportionately among older adults."

"Concerns that increasing immunity against VZV (Varicella‐zoster virus), at the community level, may result in an increase in the incidence of herpes zoster are justified on the basis of the first 9 years of national hospitalization data following the initiation of national varicella vaccination efforts."

"Total annual hospital charges for HZHDs fluctuated between 1993 and 1999 and subsequently increased significantly (Figure 3). Overall, total annual hospital charges for HZHDs increased from $1.2 billion in 1993 to more than $1.9 billion by 2004 (all in 2007 US dollars). Among expected primary payers, Medicare accounted for the largest portion of annual total HZHDs charges, increasing by more than $0.5 billion, from $742 million in 1993 (61.3% of the total) to approximately $1.27 billion (ie, 66.2%) by 2004."

Now the Shingles vaccine is for people 60 years of age and older. I know I had read somewhere that Merck wanted ever so much to make that vaccine available for those 50 and above but the FDA said "no way" so there must be a reason (HERE) : "There are approximately 50 million Americans over age 60; more than 95 percent had chickenpox as children, making them vulnerable to shingles.

"The market is large," says Christine Fanelle, a spokeswoman for Merck & Co., the vaccine's manufacturer."

It looks like the market was made because the market is about MONEY!

"The company originally sought approval to sell the vaccine to adults 50 and older. But the FDA declined after expert advisors said in December 2005 that Zostavax hadn't been studied in patients younger than 60. The agency also rejected a bid to approve the vaccine for preventing postherpetic neuralgia."......"Markovitz says that doctors may be tempted to offer "off-label" vaccinations to adults age 50 to 59 in hopes of providing earlier protection against shingles...." "I don't think I would rush out and get it myself," Markovitz, who is 52, tells WebMD."

I also want examine that information on the above statement from the NYT: "incidence of shingles among unvaccinated children in the Antelope Valley outside Los Angeles was much higher than expected. The valley is one of two locations where the disease control center is closely monitoring the effects of the chickenpox vaccine." Now is it just me or is that a whole lot of information that is never again addressed by the NYT? Also how odd that the NYT calls our CDC, Center for Disease Control, the name, "disease control center" as if it's some other agency. SO here is the CDC, not the disease control center, addressing this issue of an increase in shingles: (HERE)

"Herpes Zoster after Widespread Vaccine Use

Concerns have been raised over whether the reduction in circulating VZV due to the varicella vaccination program will increase the incidence of herpes zoster. Mathematical models based on the assumption that protection against reactivation of VZV is a result of external boosting (i.e., exposure to cases of varicella disease) alone have suggested that significant increases in herpes zoster incidence will occur over the next 30-50 years. However, the triggers for reactivation of VZV are poorly understood, and protection may involve external boosting, internal boosting, or other mechanisms.

In response to these concerns, VASP is collecting thorough information on herpes zoster cases. Cases of shingles have been reported to VASP since 1999 among individuals <20 years and since 2006 among individuals ≥50 years. Surveillance for shingles will also help monitor impact of the licensed shingles vaccine "

It seems to now make sense why the NYT down-played the "big CDC" instead to the little "disease control center." There's nothing being done except more "reporting" and we in the autism world know what that means - years and years of ignoring, minimizing and denying.

So it seems that I am in a pocket - the late 40 to 60 crowd - who is outside the parameters for the Shingles vaccine, Zostavax, (and since it is not on the Vaccine Injury Table and does have 14x the potency of the Varivax vaccine, many in the pocket may be very ok with that) but vulnerable to the effects of the chicken pox vaccine. It's only a matter of time before Merck figures out what to do with us, as a potential market. But meanwhile, a very recent study has shown yet another continuing development:

AbstractVaricella vaccination of children has decreased varicella disease incidence, but introduced the occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ) from vaccine-type virus. We identified 14 vaccinated children with suspected HZ and confirmed varicella virus by polymerase chain reaction in 6 cases. Two cases were due to vaccine-type virus. Serum varicella IgM and IgG were not useful for diagnosis of HZ among vaccinated children.

It appears that the immune system is giving Merck a ride for its money or is it the other way around?

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The epidemic of shingles is beginning with Milennials, most of us had chickenpox naturally. I had chickenpox at age 10, I was very sick. I believe that there was a strain of chicken pox that my generation had that is different from previous generations. 6 months after I had chickenpox the vaccine came out. I was very upset that I didn't get the chance to receive the vaccine. I was horrifically scarred from the chicken pox, and suffered for weeks with terrible sysmtoms. I was never the same. I began to have shingles outbreaks in my early 20's. My shingles re-occurred over and over across my lower back. Now as a 34 year old I have been diagnosed with Pseudotumor Cerebri or Intracranial Hypertension. I began having neuro symptoms cause by excess fluid in my brain and spinal cord. It's putting pressure on my optic nerve and my eye sight is in jeopardy. One of my newer symptoms is ear pain, fluid and pressure. I was told that it may be from ear infections but later on told it's more likely to be viral..such as shingles of the ear or the beginnings of it. So now it's possible that I am losing my eye sight AND my hearing all from having chickenpox at 10 years old. Again, I have NEVER had the vaccine. I know many people in their early 30's being told they have neurological conditions with unknown causes. Personally, I know the cause when I see their shingles like outbreaks on their body and they told me they had chickenpox as a child. Doctors are mis-diagnosing my generation, I think that children who get the vaccine are getting much milder symptoms than they would if they had the strain my generation had naturally.

You wonder why anxiety is on the rise with Milennials? Because WE had the worst epidemic of chicken pox and were ignored, we are told our symptoms are hard to diagnose and our immune systems are out of whack. We have the highest rate of food allergies, anxiety and depression. No one has been a proper advocate for us! Now the generations after us are getting all the attention about their concerns regarding the vaccines! The vaccines are not the core issue, the mutated strains of chickenpox are the gosh darn issue!

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Our daughter developed shingles 2 weeks to the day from receiving her varicella vaccine. The shingles affected the outer portion of her ear and were very painful. Our pediatrician and I reported it to Merck and worked our way up the chain of command there. I also reported the occurrence to VAERS. She is now a child with PANDAS (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with strep) and we often wonder if this vaccine was the initial start to her autoimmune reaction. There is no way to know for certain. Neither she nor our son will receive further vaccinations until it is determined if PANDAS can be triggered by over stimulating the immune system function.

March 24, 2011 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today approval for a vaccine to prevent herpes zoster, also known as shingles, in adults age 50 to 59 years.

The vaccine (Zostavax, Merck & Co., Inc.), a live attenuated virus vaccine, was already approved for prevention of zoster in adults 60 years of age and older in May 2006.

"The likelihood of shingles increases with age. The availability of Zostavax to a younger age group provides an additional opportunity to prevent this often painful and debilitating disease," said Karen Midthun, MD, director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a news release.

Approval was based on a multicenter placebo-controlled trial conducted in the United States and 4 other countries among approximately 22,000 adults who were 50 to 59 years of age. Study participants were followed for at least 1 year for the development of zoster. Results showed that compared with placebo, the vaccine reduced the risk of developing zoster by approximately 70%.

The most common side effects observed were redness, pain, and swelling at the site of injection and headache.

If the shingles increase 30-50% (British HPA) then harm outweighs the benefits.I would not take a bandaid from merck.Best if the kids pick up the chicken pox virus at school and build natural immunity. Why put toxic ingredients and potent viruses into the body when the future outcome is unknown or very risky.

Just as a general matter for everyone on this board here at AoA. We might consider never using the words "vaccination" or "immunization". It is more appropriate to use the words inoculation and/or transfection. It is fraudulent to use the word immunization. The vaccine schedules do not provide protection, prevention, or immunity from diseases. This has never been unequivocally proven. It's wishful thinking. It's worse than a lie. It's a myth.

"Dr. Krause: ....that was a study in which these small molecules were transfected into cells and the cells started to display some of the characteristics of antigen presenting cells. And then the question then is, is that something which could subsequently be related to autoimmune responses or things like that. I think those are legitimate kinds of questions. I know that the world has a fairly long experience with unpurified viral vaccines which do contain eukaryotic DNA as residual DNA in quantities greater than 10 nanograms. In particular I am referring to WI38 or MRC5 DNA, which appear to be safe from that perspective. I was on the committee that licensed--or actually I chaired the committee that licensed the chickenpox vaccine, and that was actually an issue that we considered at the time as well, and actually looked among recipients of the vaccine for evidence of an autoimmune response associated with the DNA that was included in that vaccine. Actually, we didn't look, we asked the company to look and they did not find one."

This is from a 1999 conference. Apparently at some point the participants discuss vaccine contaminants whose presence is known only to a small coterie of people, but knowledge of which is probably going to leak out. Has it leaked out yet? Dunno.

I contracted shingles at age 34 the day after delivering my son. It made for a few very painful weeks, and it was tricky breastfeeding a newborn while I had shingles across the left side of my body. My son is 7 now and has PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. Are the two related? I don't know. He does react violently to strep with a myriad of mental illness symptoms. (In PANDAS, strep antibodies attack the brain/basal ganglia in a way similar to how strep attacks the heart in Rheumatic Fever.) He was also fully vaccinated and received flu shots every year except this one. We do suspect early onset PANDAS, but his first big exacerbation began Jan 2010.

Our ped; DOCTOR BLOCK: the same ped that beat me down to get my son's third DPT shot(the one that did my son in with enceph only a few hours later)was involved in the first experimental chicken pox vaccines given to the public.
Dr. Block was the same ped that a few years earlier as my son laid in the hospital after suffering a two hour long seizure - six weeks after the third DPT shot - and I turned to Dr. Block and said: "I guess we did not get by with that last DPT shot, after all" and his response was to wheel around and run out of the room! Yeah that Ped was getting paid for chicken pox vaccine trials and even got a big write up in the newspaper after it was all done, like he was some big bloody hero.

Here I am writing to the University of Kentucky medical school, Congress, CDC, FDA, local- state health departments,told all my neighbors, told all the people in the other counties where my husband and I grew up, made sure I CONTINUED TO GO TO THE SAME PED GROUP-- so they would see,know,learn from my experience and yet I could not even make a dent in the opinion of a one time friend, someone that I unfortunally saw often.

Autism and all that goes along with it will have to reach a whopping 75 percent before anything changes, and then only because the 25 percent lacks the ability to drive the cars to get to work at the vaccine manufacturing factory.

Vaccines are the biggest medical sham of all time. There isn't a single peice of scientific evidence (.. epidemiology and/or a skewed recollections of the past are NOT science)to show that any vaccine, has ever prevented any disease, at point in history.

Vaccines CREATE disease, because that what's they're supposed to do. Think about it, they're manufactured by the companies who make enormous profits selling drugs to treat the diseases they create.

It's hard to look past all those decades of brainwashing, but for the road to true health leads AWAY from vaccines

I was well into my 20's before I ever heard of shingles. That was a long time ago. Today, everybody and his brother has it. A few years ago, my husband suffered a horrifying outbreak while on a wilderness hike. We were preparing to scale a cliff to a cave entrance when his neck suddenly broke out in a festering sore that resembled one of those never-healing spider bites. Since we were in an area where such critters exist, we aborted our trip, returned to our truck (luckily we hadn't gotten too far) and drove miles to the nearest emergency room where he was diagnosed with shingles. It took months to get it under control and it has never completely gone away. Despite this, neither he nor I would ever consider taking a shingles shot - or any other.

Note that the list include NSAIDS and antibiotics--to which babies can be exposed to in utero, and of course, any infant fed cow's milk-based formula will be exposed to tons of antibiotics. And, of course, most vaccines contain some kind of antibiotic agent like neomycin, which is ototoxic.

Teresa,
Yes, you said it well. Most people however, (maybe outside of this community) jump to the solution: got shingles? why not get the shingles vaccine?

I too have suffered badly. Had natural chickenpox as a kid. Had mild brushes with shingles earlier, but in my late 40's I got hit badly. I am around young children almost every day. The timing from 1995 to 10 years later (average age of my students), is eerie.

I wonder if tinitis isn't made worse by pain meds. Aspirin, Aleve, or stronger. That is my experience. So I put up with the pain. I found vitamin D3 helps. But still searching and still suffering. Mostly stress is the enemy, but having someone who is autistic in my family is not stress free!

Oh, my heavens, Teresa, I somehow missed that you posted before about Meniere's. Holy CAT.

I just emailed you some very disorganized info on it--I hope it helps.

I SWEAR there is a connection between Meniere's, herpes viruses, vaccines, celiac, autism, and vitamin deficiencies. And sometimes I wonder about mold and Lyme, too.

This http://www.menieres.org/forum/index.php/topic,25945.0.html is my effort at listing all the possible known causative factors of Meniere's symptoms. I think ALL of them could be linked with autism as well. (I should have included this in my email to you, Teresa, and forgot. Oops.) I hope this helps somebody...

I want to second Taximom's suggestion of l-lysine. It's a very useful supplement when viruses are involved. Usually the dose is MUCH higher than the dose suggested on the bottle; google l-lysine and herpes to get an idea.

I have posted before that I have all the symptoms of Menniere's. I had family members too that had it. I would say that the scalp pain was horrid with the shingles but the tinnitus, photophobia and dizziness are still with me. I have tinnitus all the time and its just much more pronounced now.

Thanks for all the well wishes and tips on dealing with Shingles. I am doing much better after antivirals (both prescription and supplement) and am continuing them on/off as well as assorted vitamins, etc. My eyes are still not back to normal and I have my 4th eye doctor visit next week.

Wanted to comment too that Cynthia, you had said "This isn't about the use of the shingles vaccine (though it is a live-virus vaccine also), it is about the fact that vaccinating children with the chickenpox vaccine could be triggering shingles in a larger population."...

well that was pretty much the theme I was trying to convey. The use of the Shingles vaccine may be another area to look at but since I became sick with Shingles, many people shared that they have heard more and more people getting it and at much younger ages.

As far as a Shingles vaccine being mandated for children, that I didn't see from this but -- there are now pockets of adults that are getting this and that is where I believe we will see a possible marketing blitz AND/OR fda approval on Zostavax for 40's and up. Realistically, since it is $250 a shot, it may well be that the over 60 crowd was chosen as they have that money the companies like -- Medicaid.

Beyond the money issue, the realization that Shingles, a very painful, debilitating illness continues to spread like wildfire while media, government and its regulatory agencies allow that fact to be ignored, as it continues, is the core issue that we see in the autism epidemic.

I read with interest your above posts re: Meniere's "Disease," as I experienced shingles at a really young age (first onset at approximately 16-18 years of age). I had periodic outbreaks of shingles during my early 20's; it was horrific and extremely painful. I had chickenpox as a child - very mild case, as I recall.

I had one more outbreak of shingles during my pregnancy; it went into my scalp, but thankfully, it went away on its own as I couldn't take anything for it, due to my pregnancy. I've noted that any and all outbreaks of shingles always occurred during moments of extreme stress in my life.

I also have had tinnitus, starting as a young child. As a kid, it would come and go, but now, it's more pronounced.

Just wondering about all of this when I read your post. I wonder if there's a connection with what is being discussed, above.

And the shingles vaccine will have side effects yet to be seen, as well. I have a relative who was up in arms about "all the shingles" going around, and was determined to get that shingles vaccine, despite what we've gone through with our son. It wasn't long until she developed autoimmune psoriasis, which is not responding well to any treatments. Ironically, the meds they now have her on tell her to avoid live virus vaccines and to stay away from those who receive them.

Yet, I don't think she yet believes me when I tell her about vaccine dangers.

The very fact that unvaccinated children are mentioned here as victims of shingles, is a primer for suggesting the inclusion of the shingles vaccine in the childhood schedule. Trust me. Otherwise it would not be mentioned.

If you can get a case of chickenpox from a vaccinated person, why not shingles? I have to wonder if we are looking at the wrong thing. This isn't about the use of the shingles vaccine (though it is a live-virus vaccine also), it is about the fact that vaccinating children with the chickenpox vaccine could be triggering shingles in a larger population. Shingles is on the increase and not just in "older" people. I would postulate that shingles are increasing among middle-aged people (and younger) who are around vaccinated-children on a regular basis.

Certainly another vaccine disaster is on the way, and it will be surely compounded by giving shingles vaccines to increasingly younger people.

When I received my Rhogam shot, I developed welt like sores on my right side, I experienced hard knots on the palms of my hands too. My OBGYN seemed puzzled and gave me a prescription and sent me on my way..it did disappear about 1 week later. I wonder......

Didn't know where else to put this but LMAO hearing Anderson Cooper go off on the Japanese government for their lack of transparency with the nuclear power plant crisis. Guess what Anderson, the American government is doing the exact same thing with the autism crisis; lose the smug attitude!!

I had shingles at age 25--less than a month after receiving 4 vaccines that I was told I needed for my job, which was sending me to mainland China. At the same time, my thyroid stopped working and I started having symptoms of celiac/gluten intolerance.

Sound familiar, anyone?

Recently, my husband got shingles--less than a month after back-to-back cataract operations. At the same time, I developed symptoms of what the doctor insisted was Meniere's disease--but it turned out I had B12 deficiency (which has the same symptoms), caused by Prilosec.

(For those of you who didn't know Prilosec and other acid blockers can cause B12 deficiency, it can and does. It's the number one cause of Pernicious Anemia, according to some of the Pernicious Anemia websites. The acid it blocks?? You NEED that acid to properly absorb B12!)

HOWEVER--there is a lot of evidence suggesting that Meniere's "Disease" (it's actually an idiopathic syndrome, but they call it a disease) is caused in many cases by herpes infections run amok--and shingles, as we all know, is herpes zoster.

I cannot believe it was a coincidence that my case coincided EXACTLY with my husband's shingles.

For those who don't know what Meniere's "Disease" is, it causes tinnitus, periodic hearing loss, dizziness/vertigo, nausea/vomiting, and other fun symptoms.

When I had it, all I wanted to do was bang my head on the wall to make the dizziness go away. Because of the tinnitus, I couldn't respond appropriately to people talking to me.

Sorry I haven't had time to read all the comments yet (and I usually find VAST amounts of helpful info in the comments!), so my comment may be duplicating someone else's posted info.

FIrst of all, L-lysine (available OTC) disables herpes viruses. In fact, it is the first treatment of choice for veterinarians treating herpes infections in cats. (See, we should all take our kids to the vet instead of the ped!) Please look into taking some yourself.

Vitamin D deficiency is linked with autism (see www.vitamindcouncil.org and read it ALL), but it is also linked with most if not all autoimmune disorders--and shingles hits people whose immune system is compromised. Compromise can be from infection, cancer/chemo--but it can also be caused by lack of sleep, vitamin deficiencies, and STRESS.

When I treat shingles using HBOT it is amazing the results, i hope that all will consider this form of therapy. Yes I have three daughters that were treated for vaccine damage, autism, and auto immune disorders in 1991 using HBOT, they have all fully recovered including abnormal brain spect scans, living normally in their 20's. Please see my website
www.hbot4u.com and consider this form of therapy. I would also be more than happy to mail out packets and or find a location for therapy near your home.
www.hbot4u.com

Below is something I found that I think is interesting; I've seen other articles that has speculated that if we have to continually expose ourselves to the virus to prevent shingles. Of course, the below article is pro vaccine. I'm guessing a shingles vaccine is nothing different that a booster of the chicken pox vacccine.

Before the vaccine was introduced, people might be re-exposed to chickenpox many times throughout their lives, Schaffner says. Those who had already had the disease didn't get sick. But their immune systems got the equivalent of a booster shot from each encounter with the virus. Those boosts probably helped keep the virus in check, preventing shingles.
With less exposure to wild chickenpox viruses, Schaffner says it's possible that the immune system may not remain as strong, leaving people more vulnerable to shingles. In that case, Schaffner says, doctors might recommend that the shingles vaccine be given to younger adults, such as 40-year-olds.

They have taken a mild, innocuous childhood disease and created the need for cradle to grave boosters. And we are only 15 years into this horrible policy.

Last year at my children's school, a 6th grader (who'd had two doses of varicella vaccine as a toddler) came down with shingles. Don't worry Theresa...the CDC will soon be recommending shingles shots for 15 year olds (or at least college entry) and then boosters every 10 years til death

I have no idea if anything in the following link can help you, but here's hoping something might. (Not that you haven't already searched for something holistic to complement the advice of your doctor, of course.)

Teresa, I'm sorry you have been dealing with this, and I hope you recover very shortly.

When I asked a physician family member about the vaccine before allowing my daughters to receive it, I was concerned about them losing immunity to chicken pox potentially when they would be old enough to make getting chicken pox more serious. Shingles wasn't even on my radar. Par for course, I was "reassured" that they had been using the vaccine long enough to have a pretty good idea of its safety (1995) and that if necessary, they could introduce a booster dose later on. Now I don't dare get any boosters for them, and at least in the case of one daughter, the shot probably contributed to the harm she received, and when I hear of a somewhat rare case of chicken pox, I wonder if my now teenage daughters need to be kept away or would benefit from exposure?

I know two young women who've had shingles, age 19 and about 22. I think these girls were probably too old to have received the chicken pox vax, but were very young when it was introduced, and I'm wondering if the risk of shingles is the same for that age group who grew up with younger children so well "protected" from chicken pox as for those 60 and older, and will that become a rather equalized risk for those of us in between?

When I heard about the handling of Dr. Goldman's research, the level of priority on safety and well-being in the U.S. vaccine program became much more clear. If there ever was a strong indication a vaccine increased morbidity, cost to the public, and possibly mortality, would they pull the vaccine or at least un-recommend it? Apparently not.

My sister got shingles at 41, a very nasty disease. She continues to have nerve pain and horrific spasms in facial muscles supposedly caused by tri-nerve damage? It was normal to pass along through breastfeeding antibodies, then at 4-6 your child would have chicken-pox, that exposure for you was a natural immune boost, which continued on with exposures to grandchildren. Then around 65, the exposures stop, the immune system wanes and your varicella re emerges in the form of herpes zoster. These days it's becoming common in young women, I've seen some with eye patches, which is of course the scariest effect,and I have lost an older aunt to shingles, as well. She couldn't swallow and died during her illness with aspiration pneumonia. Yes, beyond autism, we've shifted the age of this disease to cause more morbidity and mortality. I guess the numbers are ignored when determining risk/benefit..with the benefit not being human health as intended, instead profit for pharmaceuticals.

Recently, when I purchased my Age of Autism book at Chapters (Offit's book was no where to be seen!) I had an interesting discussion with one of the salespeople. He said that the one vaccine his son reacted very badly to was the varicella vaccine- had problems for quote a few weeks after. Actually, I owe my growing suspicion of the vacc program to this vaccine. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for me- an obvious grab for money for a disease that is really quite benign. They like to scare people with the whole "flesh eating bacteria" angle now.

My then 2 1/2 year old son got the varicella vaccine and broke out with a minor case of chickenpox, which he transmitted to my wife (also a minor case). The infectious disease doc at our HMO was enthused and wanted to study the case since such transmissions were rare. Not too long after this, my son ceased talking, then started grinding his teeth, then flapping his hands, etc. (you know the drill). In retrospect, I wondered if the varicella shot was the one that pushed him over the edge.

I'm not sure if I totally agree with your criticism of the NYT. As someone who's done some newspaper writing, the way I see it is that the reporter is trying to at least give a nod to the old school "Fairness Doctrine" which was news media's way of presenting both sides of an issue, and then letting the reader decide for him or her self. It was a form of respect for the reader's intelligence, as well as a way of being as objective as possible.

It was repealed during the Reagan administration, thereby paving the way for the nasty media climate we have now: one where one side, typically the side of those in power, is presented as fact. Then it's hammered in incessantly by pundits with very little opportunity for genuine facts to be presented. This is the machine that's been powering the silencing efforts about autism's root causes. On this you and I absolutely agree.

Another place where I agree with you: the "disease control center" got my attention, too, even before you pointed it out. Interesting choice of words, because it sounds like they went well out of their way to actually avoid saying CDC. And yes, there's a whole lot of information left out about what's up with the chicken pox vaccine. Depending on where it falls in the article, it could have been truncated due to space issues, or edited out due to flow issues...or for other nefarious reasons we don't know for sure.

Theresa, have you tried Red Marine Algae to treat your shingles? It was extremely effective for me when I had Shingles at age 38 when I was 7.5 months pregnant with my second child. The pregnancy was straining a ligament or nerve running from my pelvis down my leg. I suppose that was the trauma that triggered the virus and shingles spread from the point of pain straight down the inside of my leg.

I was about a week or so into the illness before I was diagnosed. The owner of my local health food store who holds a PhD. in Naturopathic told me that red marine algae was very effective against varicella-zoster and other forms of herpes virus. She told me to take red marine algae orally in the form of capsules and use topical ointment on the blisters. Sure enough, the spreading stopped immediately and with in two days the pain was gone. From there the blisters healed very quickly. I know I was very young to have this disease and that might have contributed to my quick recovery but what struck me was that the rashing was still spreading at the time I started this treatment and it immediately stopped. I would love to know if others have tried this treatment approach and what experiences they have had.

Foxnews interviewed their "house" doctor who was asked about the rise in "shingles". The doctor patiently explained how "shingles" only strikes those who had gotten "chicken-pox" sometime in their lives .. most likely as a child.

The doctor did not mention any connection with chickenpox vaccine .. but .. he did breathlessly report there is now a "shingles vaccine" that he proudly recommends for everyone over the age of 60. Apparently, the only drawbacks to the shingle vaccine are it's exorbitant cost .. $250. per shot .. and .. the possibility you will still get shingles even after vaccination .. but .. in that case .. the doctor reassures viewers .. the shingles will be far less severe than if you did not get vaccine.

I don't know how the doctor could possibly make that prediction .. but .. in any event .. the rising increase in seniors suffering shingles appears Merck has another product liability free product to increase their bottom line profits.

Teresa, Thank you such an instructive post, and trust you will recover. What must also be questioned is the modern smoke screen that (modern) child deaths (alleged as 50 to 100 a year) were truly caused by chicken pox. This alleged mortality by chicken pox, repeated by rote, has probably been directly caused by (unnecessary and dangerous) modern drug treatments not available many generations ago.

This is how the medical world 117 years ago viewed chicken-pox, note how this 1894 Dictionary of Medicine states childhood mortality was zero.

DEFINITION.—An acute specific infectious disease, characterised by the appearance, in successive crops, of red spots, which in the course of about a week pass through the stages of pimple, vesicle, and scab.

AETIOLOGY.—The origin of this disorder is-unknown. It is certain that it arises from contagion, and that childhood is its predisposing cause. It occurs in children at the breast, and is seen with increased frequency up to the fourth year, at which period it attains its maximum. It is less often found between four and twelve, and after twelve it may be said to disappear, although it is occasionally seen in adults.

COURSE AND TERMINATION. — Varicella always runs a favourable course. It has no sequelae.

DIAGNOSIS.—It should be borne in mind that a sure diagnosis cannot be made in less than forty-eight hours. The appearance, however, of a crop of vesicles, followed on the next day by a second crop, points almost certainly to chicken-pox. Attention to this, and to the points noted under the head of Pathology, ought to make the diagnosis easy.

PROGNOSIS.—This is always favourable.

TREATMENT.—The patient should be confined to his room, perhaps in the more marked cases to his bed. His food should be that which is easy of digestion; and although no physician has recorded a fatal case, a child whose temperature rose to three, four, or six degrees above normal should be examined with care.

So sorry this has happened to you. There is no doubt that this was cynically introduced and with full knowedge that the risks outweighed the benefits. I have posted on this a couple of times before and there are some useful links included, notably to Gary Goldman who has sacrificed a great deal to this issue.

You know you've got a suffering shingles sister in me that can surely sympathize with your situation.
I got the shingles a few years ago, Joshua(who had the CP vaccine) got the chicken pox anyway from my shingles. Then we held a pox party for his un-cp-vaccinaated brother who got the cp 21 days later and put us all to shame as he was the poxiest chicken pox patient ever paralleled, I think.
I hope your eye recovers very soon. Hugs, Maurine

My husband got the shingles at age 47. My sister-in-law was only in her mid-30's when she got them.
When my younger sister got the chicken pox when my brother and I did, she was only around a year old. She had one pox on the top of her head and another on the bottom of one foot. That was it. Shingles will be much worse.
Hurray for modern medicine!